Safety device for motorcyclists

ABSTRACT

A safety device for a motorcyclist by instantaneously inflating a suit constituting an air bag for cushioning the effects of a fall. Sensors (2, 3, 3a, 4, 5, 6) are connected to a microprocessor (1) which sends an inflation signal in the presence of certain operating parameters of the vehicle, and in particular when the motorcyclist is ejected.

The present invention relates to a safety device for a motorcyclist,whether the driver or the passenger of a motorbike, and also for themotorbike itself.

In order to improve safety in cars, it is now known to make use of an"air bag" device. In the event of an impact, this is detected by acontrol unit which triggers automatic inflation of a bag by firing apyrotechnic capsule that releases a supply of compressed air. Inflationtakes place in a time of about 9 thousandths of a second thereby makingit possible to avoid injury from the impact.

A device of that kind cannot be envisaged for a motorcyclist, whether adriver or a passenger, given the structure of the vehicle. In a car, inthe event of an impact, passengers wearing safety belts remain insidethe bodywork, whereas on a motorbike riders are ejected. They strike theground after being thrown through the air to a greater or lesser extent.Contact with the ground can sometimes be fatal, given the speed, andalways gives rise to injury.

An object of the present invention is to mitigate that drawback and toavoid fatal contact.

Proposals have already been made in U.S. Pat. No. 4 984 821 to provide amotorcyclist with a suit that is inflatable, in full or in part. In theevent of an accident, if the motorcyclist is ejected, a cord actuates acontactor which triggers firing of a pyrotechnic capsule, therebyreleasing air under pressure which inflates the suit. Nevertheless, thatvery simple system is of limited scope concerning safety, and inparticular, the motorcyclist must remember to put the device intooperation by means of a switch.

According to the present invention, a motorcyclist's safety devicecomprising an inflatable suit that comes between the motorcyclist andthe ground with inflation of the suit being triggered by a pyrotechniccapsule, is characterized in that the following are provided:

on the motorcycle, an electronic control unit connected to detectors;

a on the suit, means for causing the suit to inflate; and

a connection between the control unit and the suit,

firing of the capsule being the result of the connection rupturing,thereby sending a signal issued by the control unit to the firingdevice.

Thus, from the moment a rider (driver and/or passenger) is ejected froma motorcycle, the suit inflates. The driver and the passenger areconnected to the motorbike by a safety connection. In the event of afall, if the driver is ejected, then the passenger generally is alsoejected, and under such circumstances the chambers of the suits inflate.If only the passenger is ejected, then only the passenger's suitinflates. The inflation command thus comes from detecting a contactorintegrated in the safety connection. When the connection is separatedinto two portions under action from a determined force, namely amotorbike portion and a suit portion, the contactor detects thisseparation and sends information to the control unit indicating that theconnection or hook has separated. In turn, and as a function ofconditions that are defined below, the control unit issues a command tothe suit by means of a radio or other signal, ordering a firstpyrotechnic capsule to explode, optionally followed, after a length oftime that varies as a function of speed, by a second command forordering a second pyrotechnic capsule to explode. In another embodiment,it is the rupture itself of the connection, under the action of acalibrated force, that triggers firing. In both cases, it is rupture ofthe connection that gives rise to firing and to inflation.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention appear from thefollowing description of a particular embodiment given purely by way ofnon-limiting example, and with reference to the figures, in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the control unit on the motorbike, and ofits peripheral elements;

FIGS. 2a to 2c show the connection between the motorbike and the suit inthree operating configurations;

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic view of the suit;

FIG. 4 is an electronic block diagram showing operation of the controlunit; and

FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of the connection.

The electronic control unit 1' including a microprocessor 1T and aprocessing stage 1a is secured to the structure of the motorcycle, e.g.beneath the saddle. The control unit is preferably contained in a box ofplastics material that is not brittle, or flammable, or sensitive towater spray, to humidity, or to heat. This microprocessor 1 isconnected: to the coil 2 of the motorbike, to a revolution counter 3disposed on a wheel, to a tilt detector 3a, to buckle detectors orconnections 4, 5, and 6 for detecting the presence of at least onepassenger on the motorbike, to the key 22a, and to a relay 22. Theconnection to the coil 2 indicates whether the engine is running, andthe wheel revolution counter 3 indicates whether the motorbike ismoving. Both of these conditions must be present for the safety deviceof the invention to operate. It must be possible for the driver and thepassenger to be able to disconnect themselves at rest without theinflatable chambers inflating. The wheel revolution counter 3 enablesthe speed of the vehicle to be computed, and it is as a function of saidspeed that the two above-mentioned explosions will take place. Thehigher the speed, the greater the need for corresponding cushioning, andconsequently for the chambers of the suit to be inflated. However asingle explosion giving rise to determined inflation of the suit maysuffice.

The microprocessor 1 is also connected via a link (card) 21 to buckleconnections 4, 5, and 6 enabling one or more suits 7 to be connected tothe control unit. The driver is connected via connection 4, when thereis a passenger, the connection passes via a connection 5, and for a sidecar, a third connection 6 is provided. These connections constitutedetectors for detecting the presence of one, two, or three people on themotorbike. It is possible to program the microprocessor 1 so that themotorbike cannot be started until at least one connection is locked,which would impose the wearing of an inflatable suit in order to ridethe bike, as with certain seat belts. The inputs of 3, 3a, 4, 5, and 6are connected to the microprocessor 1 via a link (card) 21. In the eventof an accident, the microprocessor will know which person or peoplehas/have been ejected by identifying which connections have beenruptured. It is only the separation signal that triggers inflation of asuit, since it is possible for the motorbike to continue running for acertain length of time, still generating pulses for 2 and 3.

The microprocessor 1 may also be connected to a transmitter 30 fortransmitting a firing signal to one of the suits. It may also beconnected, where necessary, to an RS 232 type link 33 of an alarm 34such as a siren, and to a visible indicator 35, that performs functionswhich are described below.

The presence of a microprocessor 1 in the control unit 1' makes itpossible to fit the motorbike with an antitheft device, in which casethe control unit also includes a receiver 30a capable of receiving asignal transmitted by an infrared remote control 30b which unlockseither the power supply to the coil or the fuel supply to the engine viathe relay 22, assuming that closure of the power supply contact givesrise to that kind of inhibition. Naturally, the key 22a is connected inparallel with the infrared control 30b.

As can be seen in FIGS. 2a to 2c, a connection 4, 5, or 6 is made up ofthree elements: a female type element 14 connected to the motorbike; amale type element 15 connected to the suit; and between them anintermediate element 13. The intermediate element 13 carries malecontact or 16 capable of being inserted in a female contactor 16a. FIG.2a shows a connection while the driver is riding; FIG. 2b shows the sameconnection when the driver is separated normally from the motorbike; andFIG. 2c shows the connection separated into two parts in the event of animpact or an accident during which the driver (or a passenger) isejected from the machine.

In FIG. 2a, the male part 15 is snapped in the female part 14 by hooks17. Relatively slow manual traction makes it possible to release theintermediate part 13 from the female part 14 by pressing against thehooks 17 by means of the arms 19. This leads to the position shown inFIG. 2b where the driver can dismount from the machine, the malecontactor 16, still carried on the male part 13. In any event the wheelrevolution counter 3 makes it impossible at this moment for firing totake place since it indicates that the vehicle is stationary, even ifits engine is still running.

In contrast, in the event of sudden ejection, the intermediate part 13remains captive in the female portion 14 and the suit 7 tears the malecontactor 16 from its female contactor 16a. This is the case shown inFIG. 2c. The male contactor 16 which was initially held by balls 18loaded by calibrated springs slides over the balls and breaks contactwith female contactor 16a, which information is conveyed to themicroprocessor 1 by line 20. The transmitter 30 then sends a signalwhich is picked up by the suit and triggers inflation of its chambers.The connections 5 and 6 are of the same type as connection 4, and theyoperate in identical manner.

As shown in FIG. 3, the suit 7 includes a receiver card 8 receivingsignals from the control unit 1' in the event of the connection 4 beingruptured. The receiver card 8 controls a pyrotechnic system 9a directly.The pyrotechnic system is connected to a cylinder 10 of compressed airfollowed by an expander for dropping pressure from 200 bars to 8 barsafter a time lapse that may depend on the speed of the vehicle at themoment of ejection, which speed is computed by the control unit as afunction of pulses from the wheel revolution counter 3. The transmittercan send a second signal to the card 8 to act directly on a valveincluded in the stage 9 and close the passage for air to thedistributor. The set of elements 8, 9, 9a, and 10 is included in a waistbag 17a worn by the motorcyclist and possibly by the passenger. The aircylinder is connected, after 9a has exploded, to an air distributor 11for distributing air through the various chambers 12 provided in thesuit. These chambers are fitted with non-return valves (not shown)isolating them from one another such that if one of the chambers shouldbe punctured during or before collision, the others continue to providesuitable protection.

From end to end of the body there are provided a corolla chamber, atibia chamber, two femur chambers, an ulna chamber, a radius chamber, achamber for the ribs, and the sternum, a chamber for the ribs and thelumbar vertebrae, and a chamber for the humerus and the collar bone. Asingle chamber is provided for protecting the cervical vertebrae. In theexample shown, the suit, which is preferably made of leather, isprovided with 19 chambers. The head is naturally protected by thehelmet. As with an air bag, it takes abut 9 thousandths of a second toinflate the chambers, thereby enabling them to be inflated beforestriking the ground. The 19 chambers serve solely to reduce major riskof external lesions such as: the rib cage being forced in, fracture ofthe spine, or of the neck vertebrae, or any open fracture of the upperor lower limbs. The receiver 8, the pyrotechnic capsules, the expander,and the cylinder 10 are contained in a fiberglass shell and areprotected from one another by polyurethane foam.

FIG. 4 is a diagram of the electronics used in an embodiment of theinvention. The electronics of the control unit comprises two cards, acard 21 carrying the analog portion and the inputs/outputs, and a cardcarrying the digital portion. The digital portion comprises variousintegrated circuits and a microprocessor 1 associated with EPROM memory24 including the program, a random-access memory 25 for managing data,and a encoder/decoder 26. Gates 27 enable or inhibit data communication.A relay 22 serves to act mechanically on a control member of themotorbike. When the system is in operation and the motorcyclist decidesto stop, the engine is switched off with the key, and at that moment themicroprocessor 1 no longer receives pulses from the coil 2. It alsoknows that the motorbike is no longer running since the wheel revolutioncounter 3 is not sending pulses either. The pulses from the coil 2enable the microprocessor 1 to recognize whether the motorbike has atwo-stroke engine or a four-stroke engine. It is thus possible tocalculate easily the number of revolutions per minute. From that moment,the motorcyclist can release the safety connection 4 without any risk ofthe system inflating the chambers in the suit. The circuit appliesinformation to the random access memory 25 concerning bike travel. Whenstarting again, the motorcyclist presses on the button of the electronickey which may be reciever 30a (FIG. 1).

Once the code has been transmitted, with the alarm system at rest, thecontrol unit 1' passes from the reception position to the transmissionposition to prepare the device for transmission in the event of aproblem. The motorcyclist then inserts the male part 15 into the femalepart 14 of the connection (FIG. 2) and the microprocessor 1 knows thatone or two passengers are connected to the motorbike and, in that case,it allows various members that were previously switched off to beswitched back on. The motorcyclist can then start with the starting dateand time being stored in the random access memory 25; the motorcyclistthen setting out to travel from a point A to a point B; and all the timethe motorbike is travelling the RAM stores the greatest value as afunction of the first revolution of the wheel at minimum, medium, andmaximum speeds of the motorbike on the basis of pulses coming from thewheel revolution counter 3. The duration of inflation is proportional tomaximum speed and is obtained by continuously taking said value intoconsideration. If an accident arises during travel, and the driverand/or passenger are ejected from the motorbike, the microprocessordetects that a pin has been grounded for the driver and another pin forthe passenger, and as a function of motorbike speed it sends astart-inflation code. By means of a radio system, the first pyrotechniccapsule 9a explodes (see FIG. 3) and releases the compressed air fromthe cylinder 10 into the 19 chambers. Thereafter the microprocessorapplies the stop code, still in the same manner, thereby causing thesecond capsule 9 to explode, thereby closing the air circuit. Themicroprocessor records in the random access memory 25 various data itemsrelating to the accident.

The use of a microprocessor system makes it possible to store a largeamount of information, and possibly to play it back via an RS 232 typeoutlet 33 (FIG. 1), e.g. to a Minitel (registered trademark) or acomputer, for inspection purposes by an insurance company. Naturally,such a system can serve as an alarm in the event of theft beingdetected. To this end, an alarm system may include a siren 34, and it ispossible to switch off the fuel feed via an electrically controlledvalve (not shown), and also the power supply to the coil after adetermined time lapse by means of the relay 22.

In the example given above, firing is triggered by a radio signal fromthe motorbike to the suit. The signal is simple and robust.Nevertheless, in certain cases, and in particular in the vicinity ofelectrical installations such as transformers, interference may arise.Thus, in a second embodiment, the link between the electronic controlunit 1' and the suit 7 is provided by wire only, and no transmitter 30is provided. Under such circumstances, the microprocessor applies asignal of determined potential to a terminal of the reciever card 8 viathe connection, and it maintains said voltage while the device is inoperation. If this signal disappears by virtue of the connection beingruptured, firing takes place. As a safety measure, this link ispreferably duplicated. To this end, as shown in FIG. 5, the singlecontactor shown in FIGS. 2a-2c is replaced by a set of three to fivecontactor pins 16' penetrating into female contactor 16a' enabling thesuit to be diagnosed on a continuous basis by the microprocessor. Thethree portions of the connection are fixed in the same manner as in FIG.2. The male part 15 includes a stud 36 which penetrates into an orifice37 of the intermediate part 13 to provide good guidance and to hold theintermediate part 13 in the male part 15 by means of balls. Naturally,in this case, there is only one explosion that inflates the suit to apressure that is suitable for practically all kinds of accident.

Also, in the above-described system, inflation takes place only when thedriver and/or passenger is ejected. Another common type of accident isthe result of the motorbike skidding, because centrifugal force isgreater than the grip of the motorbike on the ground. It is desirablefor inflation to take place in this case also. To this end, a sensor 3a,is provided on the motorbike for sensing tilting thereof, which sensordelivers a signal to the control unit when the tilt of the motorbikeexceeds a predetermined value indicating that skidding is about to takeplace. This mode of operation is made possible by the electronic linkbetween the control unit 1' and the suit 7 as described above, with theconnection remaining intact in this case. Under such conditions,inflation is caused if the control unit sends to the reciever card 8information indicating "high speed" and "loss of grip" via theconnection, or "high speed" and "connection separated".

What is claimed is:
 1. A safety device for a motorcyclist, the devicecomprising an inflatable suit for protecting the motorcyclist fromcontact when separated from a motorcycle, inflation of the suit beingcontrolled by firing a pyrotechnic capsule, the safety devicecomprising:an electronic control unit securable to the motorcycle and atleast one sensor coupled to the electronic control unit and for couplingto the motorcycle for sensing presence of travel parameterscharacteristic of operation of the motorcycle, the electronic controlunit being controllably coupled to a radio transmitted; a connector thatis detachable under a given traction force, connecting the control unitto the suit such that rupture o the connector provides a signal to theelectronic control unit; wherein the suit comprises inflatable chamberscoupled to the pyrotechnic capsule and a radio receiver responsive tothe radio transmitter for triggering firing of the pyrotechnic capsule;and, wherein the electronic control unit is operable upon rupture of thedetachable connector by application of a given force to fire thepyrotechnic capsule by signaling over the radio transmitter, providedthat the sensor is then sensing said travel parameters characteristic ofoperation of the motorcycle.
 2. The safety device of claim 1, whereinthe electronic control unit comprises an analog stage and a digitalstage including a microprocessor and integrated circuits, the controlunit adapted to be connected firstly to a coil of the motorcycle forsensing ignition, to a wheel sensor for sensing motorcycle motion, andto a tilt sensor for sensing tilt.
 3. The safety device according toclaim 2, wherein the connector comprises a male part, a female partreleasably engageable manually with the male part, and an intermediatepart including at least one contactor pin, the male part being retainedin the female part by hooks and by catches, the intermediate part beingnormally engaged with one of the male part and the female part anddisengaged by application of said given traction force, the detachableconnector being ruptured by separation of the motorcyclist from themotorcycle, and the electronic control unit firing the pyrotechnicdevice provided said travel parameters indicate that the motorcycle isthen in operation.
 4. The safety device according to claim 2, whereinthe connector includes at least three contactor pins and the controlunit is responsive to signals through the contactor pins.
 5. The safetydevice according to claim 1, further comprising a relay arranged topermit or preclude operation of the motorcycle, the relay being operatedby the electronic control unit to constitute an antitheft devicerequiring a starting code to be input by the motorcyclist.
 6. A deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the control unit includes amicroprocessor, memories for storing main parameters of motorcycletravel, and wherein the microprocessor is coupled to a serial dataoutput.
 7. The safety device according to claim 1, wherein the suitcomprises, a firing system including the pyrotechnic capsule, coupled toa supply (10) of compressed gas and an air distributor in communicationwith a set of chambers that are isolated from one another, the chambersbeing provided with non-return valves.
 8. In combination, a motorcycleand a safety device for a motorcyclist, the device comprising aninflatable suit for protecting the motorcyclist from contact whenseparated from the motorcycle, inflation of the suit being controlled byfiring a pyrotechnic capsule, the safety device comprising:an electroniccontrol unit secured to the motorcycle and at least one sensor coupledto the electronic control unit and to the motorcycle for sensingpresence of travel parameters characteristic of operation of themotorcycle, the electronic control unit being controllably coupled to aradio transmitter; a connector that is detachable under a given tractionforce, connecting the control unit to the suit such that rupture of theconnector provides a signal to the electronic control unit; wherein thesuit comprises inflatable chambers coupled to the pyrotechnic capsuleand a radio receiver responsive to the radio transmitter for triggeringfiring of the pyrotechnic capsule; wherein the electronic control unitis operable upon rupture of the detachable connector by application of agiven force to fire the pyrotechnic capsule by signaling over the radiotransmitter, provided that the sensor is then sensing said travelparameters characteristic of operation of the motorcycle; and, whereinthe electronic control unit is disposed at a protected location of themotorcycle, and the receiver, a firing system, and a gas cylinder aresecured to the suit and connected thereto.
 9. The combination accordingto claim 8, wherein the control unit transmits a radio signal after theconnector has been ruptured, and calculates and controls a duration ofchamber inflation as a function of a speed of the motorcycle at a timeof the rupture, the firing system including two pyrotechnic capsulesthat are fired in succession.